Pixar Disney

PG 96 min

Well here’s another movie with a very specific curve. Actually Pixar (by Disney) flicks are at the very pinnacle of computer-generated graphics so it’s almost impossible to compare them to anybody else’s CGI work.

That’s kind of a catch 22 for Pixar as any tiny flaw might lead to a “well it’s not as good as…” and that’s what happens here. Oh it looks great but there’s a story too.

I won’t give away much but we already know the main thrust of the tale from the previews; it’s a grumpy old man, Mr. Fredericksen, (Ed Asner) and an overeager boy. Russell, (Jordan Nagai) who wind up trapped on a flying house.

As the film begins we find out just why the house is flying and why Mr. Fredericksen is so grumpy. It’s actually an extraordinarily touching sequence that had me literally in tears. The old man embarks on a lifetime quest as Russell endears himself as the first mate on the fantastic voyage.

Soon they end up at the prehistoric looking destination as UP turns into an action/adventure film and that’s where it starts to drag. It isn’t terrible but the human interest was so appealing that I hated to see it become raucous bad guys and chase scenes.

Still the characters are unique and the story is pretty unconventional in a Dean Koontz kind of way. The dogs are pretty cool, as you’ll see.

Also the bad guy (Christopher Plummer) starts out as a sympathetic figure and though he’s turned out a bit evil it’s easy to see why.

There’s a standard happy ending and it’s hard to be overly critical, but I guess it just misses the gold standard we’ve come to expect.

B

WSS

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